Soups & Salads To Savor In Solitude
If you want to avoid using that jar of coconut oil in your pantry to lubricate yourself out of your sweatpants, then I've got a couple of meal ideas you can sample in between your oven adventures. All these recipes bring their nutritional A game with healthy fats, fiber, protein and flavor. Plus they're dairy and gluten free. But before you check out because cheese and bread are life, you can easily top with parm or add a side of sourdough to these recipes if you don't have either of these dietary concerns. Trust me when I say that these meals are just as bright to the palate as Tiger King's fury is for Carole Baskin.
Meatball Soup With Veggies
This recipe from Cassidy's Craveable Creations is mega comforting so it's perfect for combating cabin fever. It's also chockfull of veggies so you'll fill up before you're tempted to reach for the Trader Joe's mini chocolate chip cookies you've been mindlessly munching to take your mind off the fact that migrating from the bed to the couch are the hot plans for Saturday night. It's also low carb, savory, and provides you with that warm and fuzzy feeling you only get when watching Elf or sipping your way to the bottom of a bottle of red wine. So break out those bricks of meat you've been hoarding and get cooking!
Okay, so there are a couple of different recipes for this one. The big star, which is the soup, comes from Ali Miller RD's The Anti-Anxiety Diet Cookbook. This baby is like my food bible. Registered dietician, Ali Miller, drops mad knowledge in this quick-read about why/how foods can help your body fight inflammation, heal your gut, and regulate your mood. The recipes are legit delicious, nutrient dense, and practical enough to fit into your busy streaming and cocktail mixing schedule. I highly recommend buying it!
Zesty Creamy Carrot Soup With Ham Chips, Kale Walnut Pesto, & Flax Crackers
This soup is liquid gold and includes carrots, full-fat coconut milk, and bone broth which blends together for decadent and satiating fare. I got the idea for ham chips from another recipe in the book which called for prosciutto instead of ham. All you do is bake strips of ham in the oven for about 10 minutes for a crispy salty topper. Make this soup a proper lunch or dinner by whipping up a batch of flax crackers from Nutrition Refined and kale walnut pesto from The Modern Proper. I skipped the nutritional yeast in the pesto and it came out awesome. So don't worry if you don't have this specialty item on hand—you won't be missing out on a trip to flavor town!
Salmon Salad With Tomatoes, Celery, Green Onions & Parsley
Swapping out tuna for salmon in a cold salad like this is like upgrading your old iPhone to the latest and greatest model. Sure it does the job (you're able to text the squad funny rona memes and send emails) but it just doesn't have all the bells and whistles that new model does. That's what salmon is. And luckily, it's easier on the wallet than the new iPhone and fresh cuts of salmon when you get it canned. It also has less mercury than tuna and flosses nutritionally with a ton of B vitamins (reduces inflammation), omega-3 fatty acids (healthy fats), and calcium (strong bones) if you get the kind with the bones. If the thought of eating fish bones creeps you out like a back massage from Biden, don't worry you won't notice the bones because those bad boys are softened during the canning process.
Ingredients:
- 1 can of wild salmon (with bones for added calcium)
- 2 tbs of avocado mayonnaise (healthy fat—I like Primal Kitchen)
- 4-5 cherry tomatoes chopped into halves or quarters
- 1-2 ribs/sticks of celery chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 tbs chopped parsley
- 2 tbs chopped green onions
- Juice from 1/2 lime (optional—lime zest from 1/2 lime for antioxidant action)
- Dash of salt & pepper
- Toss all the ingredients into a bowl, mix, and serve
Mixed Green Salad With Bacon, Dried Cherries, Roasted Almonds, Roasted Carrots & Key Lime Dressing
Bacon truly is the Swiss army knife of foods. You can put it on a burger, beside eggs, or on a salad as illustrated below. This salad will give you all the taste feels with its mix of salty, sweet, and tart. This meal requires some prep but it's all good because unlike the notorious "Ain't nobody got time for that" meme, you actually do got time for that. Thanks Covid-19.
Recipe: yields 2 servings
Salad Ingredients:
- 4 cups of chopped greens (Swiss chard, kale, & arugula are all nutrient dense options)
- 4 slices of bacon (thick cut is best!)
- 1/2 16 oz bag of baby carrots cut into 1/2" pieces
- 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
- Dash of salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup of dried unsweetened cherries
- 1/2 cup of chopped roasted & salted almonds
Dressing ingredients:
- Juice from 1 key lime or 1/2 regular lime
- Zest from 1 key lime or 1/2 regular lime
- 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil (try garlic EVO to amp up flavor profile)
- Dash of salt & pepper
Instructions:
- Bake a pack of bacon at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
- Put the bacon aside once it's brown and crispy. After it's cooled crumble 4 slices. Save the rest for quick snacks later in the week. Snack idea: top half an avocado with bacon & Everything But the Bagel seasoning for a dose of healthy fat, fiber, & protein.
- Toss carrots with 1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, & bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
- Put carrots aside once you can stick a fork through them semi easily.
- Mix 1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil, key lime juice, zest, salt & pepper in a bowl.
- Toss the greens with the key lime dressing then distribute between two plates.
- Divide the crumbled bacon, roasted carrots, dried cherries, and chopped almonds between the two plates of greens.
After a long week of pants-optional Zoom meetings, unsuccessful homeschooling, and wondering whether you should shower, you can turn to these recipes which are like a soothing social distancing friendly self-hug.
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